Professor Heather D. Maynard

Principal Investigator - maynard@chem.ucla.edu

Heather D. Maynard is the Dr. Myung Ki Hong Professor in Polymer Science at UCLA.Maynard makes major contributions to the area of protein-polymer conjugates, which are important therapeutics for a variety of diseases. She develops new synthetic methods to synthesize the materials, invents new polymers to improve properties such as stability, and demonstrates preclinical efficacy of her conjugates with an eye towards translation for human health. Maynard also works in the area of smart materials for precision medicine: materials that respond to disease states in the body. Her current focus is on delivery of drugs to treat diabetes. Maynard’s research and teaching have been recognized by numerous awards, most recently the Herman Mark Senior Scholar Award, American Chemical Society Arthur Cope Scholar Award, Macrogroup UK Medal for Outstanding Achievement, Hanson-Dow Award for Excellence in nTeaching and the UCLA Student Development Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award. Maynard is an American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Chemical Society, American mAssociation for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), Leverhulme, Kavli Frontiers, and Royal Society of Chemistry Fellow and was a member of the United States Defense Science Study Group.

Postdoctoral Researchers

Jeonghun Lee

Jeonghun Lee earned his B.S. in Polymer×Nano Science and Technology in 2016 and an M.S. in BIN Convergence Technology in 2018 from Jeonbuk National University, South Korea, where he developed polymeric prodrugs for cardiovascular diseases under Prof. Dongwon Lee. He completed his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at Colorado State University in 2024 under Prof. Margarita Herrera-Alonso, focusing on polymeric amphiphiles with complex architectures and zwitterionic chemistry for drug delivery. In 2025, he joined the Maynard Group to develop protein-polymer conjugates for enhanced therapeutics. Outside the lab, he enjoys traveling and cooking.

Jungyoun James Cho

James received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia in the spring of 2014 and an M.S. in Environmental Science and Engineering from POSTECH, South Korea (advised by Prof. Suk Bong Hong) in the spring of 2017. After receiving his M.S. degree, he served in the South Korean Marine Corps until the spring of 2019. After getting discharged, he moved to Sweden to obtain a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry at Stockholm University (advised by Prof. Xiaodong Zou). During his Ph.D. studies, James developed 3D electron diffraction (3D ED) and MicroED techniques to determine the structures of sub-micrometer sized crystals of various materials. Tired of the Swedish winter, James moved to SoCal to continue his postdoctoral studies at UCLA. James is developing 3D ED/MicroED and 4DSTEM techniques to gain structural insights of protein, polymer, and other soft materials. Outside the lab, he enjoys exploring the nature and reading the most boring books.

Pedro Salas

Pedro obtained a M.S. in polymer chemistry from the University National Autonomous of Mexico (UNAM) in 2015. Then, he moved to the University of Bordeaux at the Laboratory of organic polymers (LCPO) where he accomplished his PhD in 2021 under the supervision of Dr. Colin Bonduelle and Prof Pierre Verhaeghe, preparing antimicrobial polypeptoids as simplified analogues of antimicrobial peptides. In the same year he moved to UCLA, where he is working with Prof. Heather Maynard on developing degradable biobased polymers for biomedical applications from in a collaborative effort within BioPACIFIC. He likes swimming, biking, and going to the beach during his free time. 

Rajalakshmi Pallathery Sivasankaran

Rajalakshmi completed her B.Sc. in Chemistry from Calicut University, India, in 2013. Drawn to the interdisciplinary nature of life sciences and technology, she pursued an M.Sc. in Biotechnology at Cochin University of Science and Technology, completing in 2015. Her growing interest in nanomedicine led her to pursue a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) under the mentorship of Dr. Aravind Kumar Rengan, completing in 2022. Her doctoral research focused on developing an innovative hybrid nanosystem for cancer theranostics, integrating chemotherapy, photothermal therapy (PTT), and photodynamic therapy (PDT) to enhance treatment efficacy. Throughout her Ph.D., she gained experience in nanomaterials synthesis, surface functionalization, drug delivery, and in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies, contributing to advancements in cancer nanomedicine. In 2022, She moved to the United States to expand her research expertise as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Maynard Lab at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Under the guidance of Prof. Heather Maynard, she is currently working on stimuli-responsive polymeric materials for peptide conjugation, with a primary focus on therapeutic strategies for insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Beyond her research, Rajalakshmi enjoys cooking, traveling, and exploring diverse cultures and cuisines.

Tong Zhang

Tong received his B.E. in Chemical Engineering from the China University of Petroleum (Beijing) in 2015. He then pursued his M.S. in Chemical Process Engineering and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia, completing them in 2017 and 2023, respectively. Under the supervision of Prof. Cyrille Boyer, his research focused on organo-photocatalyst aqueous PET-RAFT polymerization and visible light-mediated polymerization for protein-polymer conjugation. During the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 – 2021), Tong worked in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Peking University under the supervision of Prof. Weiping Gao, where he focused on the development of protein-polymer conjugates for therapeutic applications. In 2024, Tong joined Prof. Heather Maynard’s lab at UCLA, where his research focus on developing polymeric materials for on-demand glucagon release to prevent hypoglycemia. Outside the lab, Tong enjoys fishingand exploring the nature.

Graduate Students

Ben Miller

First Year Graduate Student

Ben received his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Southern California in 2023. While atUSC, Ben worked with Professor Clay Wang and Professor Travis Williams on upcycling post-consumer plastic waste through catalysis and fungal metabolism. Ben began his graduate studies at UCLA in 2024, and he now works in the Maynard Lab developing biodegradable polymers synthesized from renewable feedstocks. Outside of lab, Ben can be found relaxing on the beach or trying any newly opened restaurant in Los Angeles.

Felix Fu

Fourth Year Graduate Student

Felix received a B.S. in chemistry from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2020. While at UIUC, he conducted research under Professor Jianjun Cheng researching the synthesis and applications of therapeutic polypeptides. Felix joined the Maynard group in 2021, his research focuses on novel self-immolative linker and bioconjugates. Outside the lab, he enjoys watching Lakers games and playing video games.

Katherine Snell

Fourth Year Graduate Student

Katie received her B.A. in Biochemistry from Claremont McKenna College in the spring of 2020. While in Claremont, she worked in the lab of Professor Babak Sanii synthesizing flexible PDMS fibers with applications as biosensors. She also spent time in Denver at the National Renewable Energy Lab studying dye-sensitized solar cells in the lab of Justin Johnson. After college, Katie took a gap year to teach middle school Chemistry and Algebra 1 at BASIS Phoenix in Arizona. Missing the California coast and her chemistry studies, she returned and began her graduate career at UCLA in the fall of 2021. In the Maynard group, Katie works on a stimuli-responsive system for glucagon delivery and projects involving degradable polymers. Outside of the lab, Katie is the outreach coordinator for the organization for cultural diversity in science (OCDS) and for the annual UCLA science fair, Exploring your universe (EYU). Her efforts in these organizations highlight her passion for creating a diverse and equitable environment in STEM higher education. In her free time, she enjoys reading and writing, working out, and going to the beach.

Maggie Polite

Second Year Graduate Student

Maggie graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in biochemistry. As an undergraduate, she worked in the lab of Dr. Karen Reue exploring exercise-induced sex differences in adipose mitochondrial activity. She joined the Maynard group for her graduate studies in Fall 2023, and is interested in the construction of protein-polymer conjugates and their self assembly. In her free time, Maggie loves to read fiction novels and try new restaurants.

Ryan Lai

Second Year Graduate Student

Ryan grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Penn State University in 2023. During his time at Penn State, he conducted research under Professor Jonathan Kuo, focusing on the synthesis of aza-quaternary centers using a Brønsted basic auxiliary. In 2023, Ryan headed west to UCLA, where he joined the Maynard group. His current research focuses on synthesizing biosourced degradable polymers and developing peptoid materials for lithography. Outside the lab, he enjoys rock climbing, basketball, backpacking, camping, traveling, and exploring everything Los Angeles has to offer.